


Where We Belong

by DyslexicCSI



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-06-07 11:05:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6801148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DyslexicCSI/pseuds/DyslexicCSI
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been three long years since he's seen her, but that was the choice he made...<br/>Now it seems he might be getting a second chance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some of you might have already read this on FF, but I decided to post here as well.

Where We Belong

Chapter 1

 

It was supposed to be a quick drop off, though something in his gut told him it was going to be anything but that. His gut had been working in overdrive for the last few weeks although he had no idea why. Special Agent Jethro Gibbs knew it was impossible for the feeling he had about this to be true. He had made a decision and even though it was one he hated, there was nothing he could do to change it now. He pushed the feeling aside and applied more pressure to the accelerator, the car surging forward with the increase in power. Gibbs finally saw the building he was looking for and turned into the parking lot before finding a vacant spot and parked the Charger.

Grabbing the package from the backseat, Gibbs pressed the key fob and locked the car as he headed into the building. His ears were assaulted by the sound of screaming, shrieking kids running around as fast as their little legs would carry them. To say that Special Agent Gibbs was taken by surprise was an understatement and it took him a few minutes to adjust to the noise and sheer number of kids in the enclosed space. Agent Axelrod had asked him to deliver the gift for him since Axelrod was working a case and he couldn’t do so himself. Not exactly sure which kid he was supposed to give the gift to, Gibbs looked around but didn’t see anyone familiar. He was partially relieved when an attendant, a young woman named Skye walked up to him and asked him which group he was joining to which Gibbs gave her a confused look.

“We have the Ryan party in The Pirate Room, Ethan in the Cars Room, Daniel in the Imagination Movers Room, and Matthew in the Space Room, and then we have MacKenzie in the Princess Room and Rachel in the Fairies Room. Who are you looking for?” she asked him and Gibbs found that he could not answer seeing as he hadn’t really asked Axelrod what the kid’s name was. He had assumed there would be just one birthday kid, he was clearly mistaken. He had remembered that Axelrod’s team had mentioned a birthday girl so it had to be one of those. He told the attendant he was looking for either MacKenzie or Rachel – he wasn’t sure since he had to just drop off the gift.

Skye smiled, allowed him to enter the huge play centre then directed him to where the girls’ party rooms would be and it was only then that Gibbs saw how big the place really was. In the centre of the room there was a huge jungle gym made of plastic, complete with rope bridges and tall slides, along with small plastic balls at the bottom of the slides. These were all secured with nets on all sides, should any of the kids lose their footing. It was difficult for the kids to actually get hurt, unless they were playing roughly, but as far as the Special Agent could see, the kids were quite well behaved, save for the constant screaming and excited shrieking. There was another smaller jungle gym next to the bigger one this one obviously for the younger kids, as well as a plastic swing set, a slide, a see-saw and a plastic house. He saw the two rooms he was looking for on the other side of the play area and started walking toward the Fairy Room first.

It seemed luck was on his side when he bumped into one of his fellow agents from HQ. Granted he didn’t know the man personally but he was definitely relieved when Special Agent Walters directed him to where Axelrod’s gift needed to be delivered. After greeting his fellow workmates and delivering the gift to one extremely excited birthday girl, Gibbs was on his way out of the play centre when he heard _her_ laugh.

It was just his imagination, and he shook his head in an attempt to rid his mind of her, something that was becoming more difficult to do as the days wore on. In the beginning when she had left he had found it difficult to even come into work, knowing he would not see her there, ever, but the work needed to get done and he had a job to do, so it was with reluctance that he went in. Over time he had trained himself to stop thinking about her. It had been torture for the first year and then slowly it had become less painful. This was four years later though, and he rarely allowed his mind to venture into _that_ forbidden territory so the sound of her lilting laugh was something of concern to him.

Then he heard it again, and this time he looked around to make sure it was not a figment of his imagination. When he didn’t see her, Gibbs decided it was just his mind playing tricks and started to make his way of the building, but he was stopped when a small body came crashing into his legs. He looked down to see a brown eyed, dark haired, dimple cheeked little girl holding into his leg and smiling back up at him.

“Oh my gosh! I am so sorry…” he heard someone say “she didn’t see…” the woman continued but Gibbs stopped her midsentence.

“It’s okay, no one was hurt,” he turned his face to look at the woman and all the air was expelled from his lungs. He could not believe it. This was something he didn’t allow himself to think about ever since she had left almost four years ago.

He drank in the sight of her, not blinking just in case she would disappear and he would find this was all a dream. She still looked the same, only more attractive. She had grown her hair longer than she kept it when she was still working with them and Gibbs had to admit he liked it better longer.

“Gibbs…” it came out in a whisper and he liked to hope she was just as breathless as he was.

“Katie,” the name only he was allowed to use, fell from his lips but it felt extremely foreign.


	2. Chapter 2/?

Former Special Agent Caitlin Todd paced the length of her bedroom, hands twisting in each other as she contemplated her decision. She had known she was going to bump into him at some point in time, though she wished she had been given a bit of warning before it happened. Not that she hadn’t wanted it to happen; it had just caught her off guard and thrown her entire system for a loop. That was why two weeks later she was debating whether to put the plan she had come up with, the night before, into action or not.

She had thought he would have already found out where she lived and paid her a visit by now, but clearly she was wrong and slightly disappointed as well. While she would not have admitted it to anyone, and especially not him she had wanted to meet him since she had returned to DC almost two years ago. Granted, their surprise meeting at the kids play centre hadn’t lasted long, it had merely been a quick ‘hello and how are you session,’ before she had been called away, but it had set off something in her and she wondered if it did the same for him.

Before she could talk herself out of it her daughter walked into the room, one hand rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, while the other clutched a plush toy.

“Hi sweetheart,” she greeted her daughter to which the little girl didn’t verbally respond. She walked up to her mother and stretched her arms, waiting to be picked up. 

Without thinking about it, Kate picked her daughter up and settled her on the bed. Looking at her child, she noted that the little girl had none of her father’s facial features and none of his mannerisms either. While in the beginning some of his friends had said Zoey was the spitting image of her father, Kate had failed to see the similarities. It was Jason’s best friend who had finally pointed out that Zoey looked nothing like her dad, and was in fact, her mother’s daughter through and through. Kate didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not, but she remembered the feeling of extreme relief that washed over her when she did. 

Kate relaxed on the bed, lying next to her daughter and breathed in her baby smell. Zoey laughed at the feel of her mother’s nose tickling her neck and cheeks and she let out a squeal of laughter.

“Come on Sweet Pea, time to get ready for school,” Kate informed the little girl and Zoey promptly stood up, waiting for her mother to do the same and get her ready for the day. 

Three quarters of an hour later Zoey was strapped into her car seat while her mother drove her to school. They were almost at the school gates when Zoey started talking.

“You have a good day okay mommy, don’t be naughty and eat all your lunch,” she told her mother and Kate could not stop the smile making its way to her face. 

A few minutes of silence passed before Zoey started again, this time leaving Kate with a spinning mind. “Today when you come to fetch me, please don’t be sad okay mommy?” 

With these few words, they arrived at school and Zoey was only too excited to run off and play with the rest of her classmates, her words to her mother already forgotten. Kate, however, was left with something to think about, and her daughter’s words ringing in her head only encouraged her to stick with the decision she had made earlier that morning. She was a former Special Agent for NCIS and before that she was a former Secret Service agent who was handpicked to protect the President, damn it. This was supposed to be a piece of cake for her. 

It was almost half an hour later when she saw him walking into the coffee shop and she could not stop the smile that bloomed on her lips at this. She would have thought that four years later and he would have at least changed some of his habits – but he was Gibbs. And well, she clearly couldn’t fault him for not changing his coffee drinking habit. Shaking her head, she stepped out of her car and traced his footsteps into his coffee haven.

Stepping inside the shop, she scanned the room looking for him and was not surprised to see him already engaged in conversation with a good looking woman. Or rather, the woman was talking and he was looking mildly interested as so to appease her. The scene in front of her took Kate back a few years and the memory came rushing to her, when she was standing in line for coffee Gibbs had blown into the shop and pulled her away from some random guy asking her about corn losses and pork bellies. And then everything had gone to hell…

The memory was still running in her mind as she walked up to the counter, two feet from where he was standing, still waiting for his life preserving drink. Kate waited for the barista and then placed her order; a tall coffee with milk and sweetener. He excused himself from the conversation with the woman and turned his attention to her. It took only a few seconds but Kate knew exactly when the atmosphere changed and she knew Gibbs was aware of her presence. 

“Kate,” she heard him call her and with all the willpower she could muster, Kate turned to face him. She watched as he allowed his gaze to analyse her. It made her slightly self-conscious and she unconsciously folded her arms across her chest as though she was closing herself to his inspection. When she had chosen her clothes that morning she was looking for something feminine but casual not something he had seen her in when they used to work together. 

She had opted for a just above the knee length, deep red dress with a black bordered top that criss-crossed in the front and was held up by two, two inch straps. This was complemented with a formal black jacket and three inched heels. Kate had opted for almost no make-up and allowed her deep brown curls to cascade down her back. When she saw him pull in a deep breath she resolved that she had made the right choice with wardrobe that morning.

He didn’t look too bad either, dressed in black pants, a light grey shirt which was open at the collar and his sleeves rolled up halfway his arms. His hair was more salt than pepper now, but it somewhat suited him. His eyes were still cerulean blue. Her heart skipped a beat or two and she had to avert her gaze just to relax her breathing. 

“Hi,” she replied.

“Sorry about the other day, I had to leave, but I was hoping we could catch up now? If you want to,” she added, unsure if he wanted to or not seeing as he hadn’t contacted her in two weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little glimpse into Kate's life now.   
> Hope you enjoyed.   
> Feedback is appreciated,   
> also if you have ideas you think would be good, let me know.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been three longs years since he's seen her, but that was the choice he made. Now it seems he might be getting a second chance...

It was almost 9pm when he finally came to a stop outside her home. Their meeting at the coffee shop hadn't lasted as long he wanted it to, since his team had caught a new case and he had to leave. That was why two long, difficult weeks later, he was standing at her front door. It had taken him the better of three hours to actually make the decision to visit her tonight. Gibbs breathed in deeply as he took in his surroundings. He was about to knock on the glass door, but then stopped halfway with the action. Doubts about his decision made its way to his mind and he almost started walking back to his parked car when he heard _her_ voice.

Without thinking twice about it, he raised his hand and knocked on the door, not expecting her to actually answer, seeing as it is already way past her daughter's bedtime and he wouldn't want to disturb the routine she was probably following. He waited for all of three minutes – but it might as well have been a lifetime - before he heard the turn of the key and then the swish of the door being pulled open.

Caitlin Todd was ready to kill something, or someone if she had it her way. It had been a long few days and her daughter being a normal two year old, asserting her personality at nine o clock at night, was not helping one bit. People were correct when they warned her about kids getting to the terrible two's; though she had to admit, Zoey was not a difficult child, if anything, she was the perfect kid any mother could ask for. However, that didn't mean her daughter didn't have a few bad days, today being one of them.

Standing with her hands on her hips, Kate was about to reprimand Zoey for misbehaving when the knock on the front door surprised her. Thinking it might be someone for her roommate, Kate immediately went to answer it, her frustration at the lack of Zoey's cooperation disappearing. To say that she was startled by the sight of the silver haired, blue eyed man stood on the other side of the threshold was an understatement. Two weeks had passed since they had last met and she wasn't sure if she should have contacted him or not and decided against it. If he wanted to meet her, he would make the effort.

"Gibbs," she greeted him, the surprise clearly evident in her tone. She took in his appearance; a white shirt with the top button undone showing a white undershirt, a baby blue woollen pullover, blue jeans and black loafers. What caught her attention however, was not his casual dress attire but the dull blue of his eyes, the tension in his jaw and the way his fist clenched and unclenched at his side, something he probably not aware of. It was funny that after all the time that passed, she was still able to pick up on his mood just by looking at him.

"Katie," his voice was just above a whisper and Kate heard the torture in just her name.

She stepped aside and gestured for him to come in and Kate closed the door behind him. He followed her to the lounge and sat down on the unoccupied sofa while Kate made her way to the kitchen. He heard the sound as she emptied coffee beans into the machine and started it up. Curious as to what had made him come to her when he was in such a mood, Kate was tempted to ask him, but she knew better and instead waited for him to start talking if he wanted to share his reasons with her.

Soon enough the aroma of strong java filled the air and Gibbs took in a deep breath. He observed her silently, his brain still trying to deal with the events of the last week. The blue eyed man was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the little girl speak, asking her mother if she could have some hot chocolate. Zoey was seated on the three-seater couch watching him shyly. He looked around the living room, noting that nothing was out of place and yet this was a lived in house. There was a small box of toys in one corner of the living room along with a dollhouse which he saw still needed to be built. He was about to ask the little girl if she wanted help when she started building it, but the unsure expression that graced her face was enough to stop him.

Kate returned to the living room a few minutes later with two mugs filled with coffee and a sippy cup no doubt filled with warm chocolate flavoured milk. She handed Gibbs his coffee and placed the tray with the two other drinks on the table while warning her daughter to be careful with the hot drink. She sat down on the sofa next to Zoey and waited for Gibbs to start talking.

"Nice place," he said and Kate smiled.

"It's not my house, I'm living with a friend," she replied. "I couldn't possibly afford this place by myself."

"Your friend doesn't mind having her living room filled with toys?" he asked as his gaze once again settled on the boxed wooden dollhouse on the other side of the room.

"Nope, if it was up to Sam this place would look like it was a heaven for kids with every toy you could possibly imagine in under one roof. Zoey just has to mention a new toy and by the end of the week it magically appears somewhere in the house, in places that Zoey is bound to find it. And the reason the dollhouse is still in the box is I refuse to build it. If Sam decided to spoil the Zoey then Sam should come and help her set it up too."

Gibbs saw the opportunity and grabbed it, "Well I could assemble it, but I'll need some help to build such a huge dollhouse. Maybe if you know a little girl who would be willing to help we could start next weekend," he asked Kate while his gaze remained fixed on Zoey's. The answering smile on the little girl's face was all the response he needed and he replied with one of his an hour later Zoey was sleeping and he waited while Kate put her daughter to bed.

When she returned she found that Gibbs had refilled their coffee mugs. She took a sip and revelled in the taste as it raced down her throat. It was slightly stronger than she was used to and she watched as her responding wince brought a smile to the silver haired man's face, the memory from three years ago obviously made its way to his mind. Her breath faltered and heart rate sped up when she saw the one side of his mouth turn up in his trademark smile.

It was easier to start talking after that and Kate did most of the talking, enquiring about the team as well as Abby, Ducky and Jimmy, though she didn't ask much about Ziva, the Mossad Liaison Officer who had taken her place when Kate had made the decision to leave. Gibbs in turn filled her in on what he knew about the team – which was a lot, seeing as nothing really got past him. He told her about DiNozzo and Jean Benoit, La Grenoille who was **an arms dealer** as well as Jean's father, Director Sheppard's obsession with catching the arms dealer and of course as McGee's growth as an NCIS agent. What he didn't mention however; was his relationship with Hollis Mann.

Then it was Gibbs' turn to ask the questions about her life but Kate was vague with answers and even more so when Gibbs asked about Zoey's father. All she told him was that she needed a change and that was the reason she moved back to DC. She does tell him about her job, which is more a passion than job, teaching younger kids dance and how much she loves it. He asked her whether it was as challenging to teach the kids as it was dealing with DiNozzo and McGee for two years and she simply laughed it off. His next question threw her for a loop though when he asked if she were ever given the choice would she think about coming back to NCIS. When she didn't answer him, Gibbs decided leave her thinking about it and took his leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A meeting where there is actual conversation between them. Gibbs might have been a bit out of character, but we have to understand, he was a lot different before he joined NCIS or as it was then known NIS


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been three long years since he's last seen her, but that was the choice he made...  
> Now it seems he may be getting a second chance...

It’s only nine in the morning and Kate already feels as if she needs another mug of coffee. She also wishes that two year olds would come with a mute button, but that’s asking for miracles, and Kate knows those are hard to come by. She tries to get Zoey to calm down for a minute, that’s all she needs to get her thoughts together, but the little girl pays no attention to her mother. Eventually Kate settles on making breakfast, taking out ingredients for pancakes, which she knows Zoey will like. It’s a Saturday morning tradition that Sam had started when Zoey had started solid foods and while other mothers were loath to start their kids on it, Kate hadn’t seen any issue with it and so continued with the tradition.

Kate starts mixing the ingredients together and it is only the sound of the electric mixer that catches Zoey’s attention. The little girl stops whatever she was doing and pulled a stool to where her mother was whisking the batter.

“Can I help you?” Zoey asks her mom and even though Kate wants to tell her daughter that she has it all under control, she finds she just doesn’t have the heart to refuse the little girl. What she does allow Zoey to do, is add some chocolate chips to the batter as Kate mixes it. Mixing the batter keeps her daughter occupied for all of three minutes and then she’s back to asking questions, and Kate is unsure how to answer her daughter.

The first question out of Zoey’s mouth is one that Kate has heard a thousand times already. When is her friend coming to help her set up the dollhouse, since he promised and, according to Sam, if you can’t keep a promise then you shouldn’t be making them. The little girl does have a valid point, but Kate also doesn’t expect Gibbs to show up just to assemble a dollhouse. He might be on a case, but she’s almost sure he has other commitments, more important, than building a fairy castle for a two year old.

“Zoey honey,” she starts and before she can get another word in there’s a knock on the front door.

The little girl gets there first and Kate is grateful that Zoey can’t reach the door handle yet.

He’s standing at the front door of her house, his hand raised to knock on the wooden surface but pauses his action mid-way, unsure of himself. While he knows he isn’t doing anything wrong, he still feels as though he is about to intrude into her personal life. They haven’t really bonded enough for him to be showing up on her doorstep unannounced on a Saturday morning, but when he found that working on his latest project in his basement was doing nothing to help him keep his thoughts away from one Caitlin Todd, drastic measures had to be taken. The decision to go to her house hadn’t been made lightly... 

He had promised Zoey that he would come and assemble her dollhouse and well he can use that as an excuse to see Kate as well. With that thought running in his mind, he knocks on the front door and within seconds hears the sound of small feet running towards him. Gibbs heaves in a deep breath when the door is finally pulled open and he sees Kate standing on the other side of the threshold. All words escape him at that moment and all he can do is show her the offerings of coffee and cupcakes that he’s brought with him.

It doesn’t escape his notice that the little girl is bouncing with excitement though he waits for Kate to invite him in, handing her the goodies he’s brought before picking up his toolbox and following the dark haired, dark eyed woman into the house. If she’s surprised at his sudden appearance on her doorstep, she doesn’t show it. Gibbs follows her into the kitchen and notes that he’s disturbed their breakfast but before he can form an opinion on it Kate hands him a plate with warm pancakes and sets a mug of coffee at the table for him.

Breakfast is a quick affair as Gibbs can see the little girl’s excitement and he doesn’t want her to wait any longer, three weeks was long enough. Before they can start on the project though, Gibbs helps Kate clear up and they both make their way to the lounge ready to start with the construction.

“This might have been the longest four weeks of her life,” Gibbs says, as he reads the instructions on the enclosed insert and begins unpacking the box.

“Oh I can guarantee you, it was the longest. I thought it was never going to end,” Kate replies and once again Gibbs feels guilty for not coming sooner. Still, he’s here now and that should count for something.

“You should have called. I would have made a plan to come sooner.”

“It’s not a train smash Gibbs, she managed without it for two years, another few weeks wasn’t going to make a difference,” Kate replies, a small smile forming on her lips letting him know it was not a problem. “Besides I know how work can get, murderers don’t wait for weekdays,” she reasoned.

“Zoey, you should help Gibbs with the dollhouse since he’s come to set it up for you,” Kate tells her daughter. At first Zoey clings to her mother, not yet ready to talk to Gibbs, but when she sees the dollhouse finally taking shape she takes her first unsteady steps toward the silver haired man. The dollhouse is set up a mere hour later and Zoey is thrilled with it, her eyes shining with excitement. Within minutes she’s absorbed in playing with her dolls and their home.

“All it needs now is a coat of paint or varnish and she’s done, though I think we should wait, let Zoey play with it for a while and then when she goes Trick Or Treating tonight then I’ll paint it and by the time she comes back she’ll be too exhausted to do play with it,” Kate informs him.

“Trick or treating, sounds… fun” Gibbs replies though his tone suggests he finds it anything but fun.

“Oh come on Gibbs, it’s fun for the kids.” At his dubious expression Kate laughs and invites him to join them for Trick or treating later that night. With that, Gibbs takes his leave, informing Kate that he needs to get some stuff for tonight and that he will be back later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked.  
> Feedback is appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Gibbs had almost cancelled going trick-or-treating with Kate and Zoey, but the sound of a silent, empty house quickly changed his mind. Besides, Kate had asked him to accompany them so there was no risk of overstepping his boundaries. After his change of clothes, he had gone out to buy a few bags of candy, choosing chocolates instead of hard candy and then made his way back to Kate’s house almost an hour and a half later. 

He drew in a deep breath when Kate opened the door, inviting him in. Gone were the track pants and sweater, replaced by a fitting teal cable knit sweater, a pair of navy bootlegged jeans and flat, knee high leather boots. Slightly rouged cheeks, deep cherry red painted lips and neatly liquid lined eyes regarded him as well. She had opted not to tie her hair, the brown ringlets cascading down her back. Gibbs was almost sure Kate had simply stepped off a page from a fashion magazine.

They were almost ready to leave when he heard Zoey’s voice. 

“Where’s your costume?” she asked him with all the innocence a two year old child could. He was lost for words, he hadn’t actually thought about getting a costume and besides, there was no way he could have gotten one at the last minute. Kate came to his rescue when she told Zoey that Gibbs didn’t know he was going to go trick-or-treating with them, so he didn’t know he was supposed to get one. Satisfied with the explanation her mom had given her, Zoey picked up her ‘candy bag’ and waited for her mom to follow suit. 

The actual trick-or-treating wasn’t as bad as he had expected it to be. Sure there were screaming toddlers, excited kids and felicitous adults and a party atmosphere all around, but all he was focused on, was the little girl he was accompanying for the night. Zoey, in his opinion, was the cutest kid he had seen in costume that night. She had wanted to dress up as Barbie but Kate had convinced her that maybe Tinkerbell or one of her fairy friends would be better and the little girl had finally decided on Silvermist, the water fairy. Dressed in a silver-blue long sleeved dress accompanied with boots and a set of ice blue wings Zoey was definitely cutest kid. 

He watched as Zoey walked up pathways to each home, knocking on the wooden doors and shouting ‘trick-or-treat’ clearly, and because she was precious as a fairy, she tended to reap more candy than the other kids. She looked as though she was going to topple over at any minute, her larger than her bag filled to the brim with candy. From beside him Gibbs heard Kate groan with displeasure as she looked at her child’s bag and the corners of his mouth lifted in a half smile, half smirk. 

“Oh don’t give me that look,” Kate told him, trying to inject as much annoyance into her tone as she could have. “You have no idea what I’m going to have to deal with after we get home. Zoey is going to want to eat some of the candy and that means she’s first going to get hyper active and then crash when she runs out of sugar and that’s when the meltdown will start.”

“So explain to her that she can’t have any tonight but she can have one or two tomorrow and see what happens, and besides we’ve been walking for about an hour and a half, I’m sure she needs some replenishment,” was Gibbs’ reply to which Kate simply rolled her eyes. How was Zoey supposed to understand that candy at night was not a good idea? She was two and a half years old, in her world there was only yes and no. 

Half an hour later they were back at home Zoey already changed out of her costume, not wanting it to get dirty or ruined, and was once again playing with her newly constructed dollhouse. Gibbs and Kate were seated on the sofa watching the little girl play, the TV on with some animated movie showing that Gibbs was trying to keep up with but couldn’t. Much to the delight of her mother, Zoey it seemed, had forgotten about the stash of candy she had collected earlier, or she wasn’t much interested in them – which Gibbs thought was odd for a two year old kid. 

Knowing Zoey was pushing past her bedtime because there was a guest in the house, Kate finally roused herself from the couch told Zoey it was time for bed. Gibbs knew just from the look on her face that Zoey was about to protest when Kate folded her arms and Zoey knew that no amount of protesting or cajoling or anything was going to work. So she put her toys away and followed her mom toward her bedroom. It was almost twenty minutes when Kate finally returned to the living room and once again Gibbs felt his heartrate speed up fivefold. 

“She finally asleep?” Gibbs asked and Kate nodded her head. 

“Coffee?” she asked him in reply and this time it was his turn to nod his head.

They sat at the counter drinking coffee, Gibbs noted that it was stronger that she used to take it and now there was no milk and sweetener added to hers. It was really good coffee. 

“No milk and sweetener?” he asked. 

“Nope.”

“It’s a bit strong,” he said as he took another sip. 

“Strong’s better… right?” Kate replied, cherry red lips breaking into a smile and they were both transported back to that time five years ago in the coffee shop before everything went to hell! That was when he saw the spark in her eyes, the connection they used to have all that time ago fully opened, when she was still a part of his team, and then she snapped back to reality and the spark was gone. 

Gibbs knew he had to leave then, save himself from falling for her all over again. She had just re-entered his life and he was not going to lose her doing something stupid – not this time. He stood up from his seat, rinsed his mug and placed it in the dishwasher before making his way back to where she was still seated. Kate found she couldn’t focus her gaze anywhere else but on him and just when she thought the silence was about to get awkward she heard him speak. 

“Thank you for inviting me to go ‘trick-or-treating and thank you for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome, Gibbs, though I should thank you for building the dollhouse,” she replied. 

“Good night… Katie,” he greeted her and before she could reply he placed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth and was out the door before she even registered what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay.   
> Hope you enjoyed

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is greatly appreciated.


End file.
